A 6-Season Neo-Western Series Is Better Than Any Taylor Sheridan Show

Are you suffering from Taylor Sheridan fatigue? Do you crave some variety in your Western tables d’hôte? Don’t worry! You haven’t been condemned to a life of monotony. There’s something different for you to consume, something with more compelling plots and superior production values. Something that even predates everything Taylor Sheridan has made on TV. What you really need is Longmire, a neo-Western crime drama based on the Walt Longmire Mysteries by Craig Johnson.

Taylor Sheridan is undoubtedly the biggest supplier of Westerns on television right now, but that doesn’t mean he can always be counted on for the best quality. Longmire is one of the alternative shows that is cooler than most of Paramount+’s offerings. Originally the flagship show of A&E, the neo-Western was later picked up by Netflix, which produced its fourth, fifth, and sixth seasons. Interestingly, it’s now available to stream in the US on Paramount+. But what makes it so compelling?

‘Longmire’ Adds More Violence and Gloom to the Source Material

What makes a great TV adaptation? Is it fidelity to the source material, or is it clever creative liberties? Either way works, so long as we don’t have a weak script saddled with a ludicrous happy ending. Longmire mostly leans toward the latter. The show keeps the skeleton of the books, tying most of the events to Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor), the sheriff of the fictional Absaroka County in Wyoming. Returning to work after his wife’s untimely death, Walt navigates the complex social tensions revolving around the Cheyenne reservation and local criminals.

While the novels depict Walt Longmire as an ordinary investigator, the show paints him as mostly an iconic Lone Ranger, close to the heroes of classic Westerns. He is a super detective, able to see things where others don’t, and is never afraid to use force. In line with that, the series is a lot more violent, avoiding what would have been a slow-burning narrative in a faithful adaptation.

For example, on the pages, Absaroka County sees only five murders in 24 years. The TV series, on the other hand, has 27 confirmed murders in the first two seasons alone. The lawman’s wife also doesn’t die of cancer, as is the case in the books. Her death stems from a violent incident, giving Longmire a reason to be more determined and vengeful. To make the story a lot more interesting, details of her death aren’t all laid out at once. They are spread out across several seasons.

Even better, the melancholy can be felt through the light and sound. The staginess is a bit too obvious at times, it is countered by highly effective lighting and camera techniques, all lending an aura of doom-laden subjugation, reminiscent of noirs of the Golden Age of Hollywood. It’s all very cinematic.

‘Longmire’s Consistency Remains Unmatched Among TV Westerns

Praised for its better handling of Native American themes and the realism employed in criminal cases, Longmire got thumbs up from critics and viewers throughout its six seasons. Regarding critic scores, none of the seasons scored lower than 80%, with some managing the coveted, flawless 100% score.

Sheridan’s shows often demonstrate his flair for dramatic storytelling and are slick concoctions of melodrama and Old West tropes, all woven into a tense drama of the first order. But they have nothing on Longmire, which rarely experiences any dips. The show holds the spectator in its powerful thrall and never lets up until the dust has settled in the Season 6 denouement. Don’t be fooled by the slow movement and sparse narrative in the first season. This is really what edge-of-your-seat drama means.

With its depiction of one man and his occasional assistants taking a firm stand against the moral vacuity of Wyoming, the neo-Western resembles the classics, but showrunners John Coveny and Hunt Baldwin make it something much more profound – somewhat of a dark commentary on the appalling treatment of innocents and indigenous peoples. The same cannot be said of Sheridan’s Westerns, which sometimes feel like curious hotchpotches that might have been indigestible had it not been for great cinematography and standout performances.

So, if you’re in the mood for something golden, something that’s as fresh now as it was when it was airing, bet on Longmire.